We went to a "Coursing Ability Test" (CAT) today, out in western northern virginia. It was a super laid back, friendly atmosphere with every type of dog you could possibly imagine there. Tons of norfolk/norwich terriers (not sure which, but there were at least 8 of them), a handful of vizlas, a bunch of corgis, scotties, westies, labs, border collies, aussies, a mastiff, and even a greyhound (But only 1...not like this event was made for hounds or anything!)

The rules of the game were simple--the dog had to show interest and motivation in chasing the lure (garbage bags tied to a string) for the entire length of the course. The little guys had to go 300 yards in under 2 minutes, and the big guys had to go 600 yards in under 3 minutes. It was really fun to watch the different breeds perform differently. The herding breeds definitely "herded" the lure, and the slower dogs figured out how to cut corners to keep up.

Lucy was practically screaming to go! She was straining so hard against her collar she could barely breathe! I let her go, and she was off (I'm going to resubmit her AKC registration to change her registered name to "Faster than a speeding bullet")

Here's the video--it's shaky at the beginning because my friend was holding her own overly-enthusiastic dog.

Everyone was saying how absolutely awesome she did (she did the whole course in about a minute or around 20 mph!) I commented to the judge that unfortunately, this is how a large percent of our agility runs look too, but thankfully here it was a good thing that she was running like a maniac.

Exhausted, but happy! (She spent the rest of the time trying to get back out on the field and try it again).

Our friend from agility, who also Q'd today!

The whole thing was just so relaxed and no pressure, and FUN. I feel like agility trials are so high strung sometimes because people pour so much time and energy into practicing, and here people just came out and let their dogs do what they desperately wanted to do.

And then on the way home, we stopped at a "pick your own" peaches and raspberries place, so now I will make a pie. YUM. Excellent Saturday!